News & Events

'STEP UP' BRINGS THE 'REVOLUTION' TO MIAMI

7/13/2012

(Miami, FL) "Step Up Revolution"is about Sean (Ryan Guzman) and Eddy (Misha Gabriel), who lead a dance crew known as "The Mob." Emily (Kathryn McCormick) witnesses the flash mob and joins them, but conflict arises when Emily's father, developer Bill Anderson, plans to turn The Mob's neighborhood into a commercial development. It forces Emily to choose between her father or her future with The Mob and her relationship with Sean. The movie, filmed entirely in Miami, features familiar locations, such as Nikki Beach and Ocean Drive.

"Being here for three months, I feel like we really got to feel what it felt like to be a Miami local and to experience all of that," McCormick said at a recent media day in Miami. "It's beautiful, it's just a good time."

"I felt like I was at home, too," Guzman added.

Even famed choreographer Jamal Sims, who has worked on all four of the "Step Up" movies, was impressed with Miami. "I was introduced to a whole new dance community that I didn't even know existed. I didn't know Miami could get down like that," he said. "I was like, wow."

Sims and McCormick both gained dancing experience on "So You Think You Can Dance." "It made me grow as a storyteller really quickly, because you're put in all these positions to play different characters in different roles and you feel the importance of what you're doing," McCormick said. "You're connecting with the world, and even people overseas watch the show, so you feel the weight of importance in that and it brings out your greatest strengths."

Guzman, an MMA fighter and model, had no professional dance experience prior to this film. "We trained for 3 weeks, 9 hours a day," he said. "Then when I went home, since I wasn't a dancer, I'd have to train a little harder and dance for another like 5 hours."

"Step Up Revolution" features different styles of dance including krumping, stepping, salsa and contemporary. "The dancing in this is like protest art a little bit. We were able to put messages in what we were doing," Sims said.

The film features several flash mobs, so the cast brought a surprise flash mob to Miami on July 4th for the public to enjoy.

"To come down here and do that flash mob and only have two hours to learn it, [Miami Dancers] came to be the best city we've ever done, yet," Sims said. "We're doing this in different cities, so this is definitely the best one.

"It was just the energy, too. Everyone was just fun and free. It's Miami and it's hot, and it's RRRRR. We like that," he said.

"Step Up Revolution" opens in theaters July 27.

Sun-Sentinel © July 13, 2012

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